


Masquerade

by ruff_ethereal



Series: San Fransokyo 7 [3]
Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, F/F, Gen, Identity Issues, Mental Health Issues, Secret Identity, Series Spoilers, Sexual Humor, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-19
Updated: 2015-06-01
Packaged: 2018-03-31 05:59:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3967036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ruff_ethereal/pseuds/ruff_ethereal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The heroes of San Fransokyo band together with two new members to form the San Fransokyo 7, to stop the evil Yokai and avenge the death of Tadashi Hamada, AKA Crash.</p><p>Meanwhile, Honey Lemon deals with the loss of her secret identity, GoGo is at a loss on how to help her, and their relationships--friends in normal life, lovers as superheroes--hang on the line.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Secrets Unveiled, Problems Revealed

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ephemeral_Cat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ephemeral_Cat/gifts).



> Long time coming. Thank folks, for waiting and commenting on what started as a joke fic and evolved into something so much more.

“This is great!” Hiro cried. “You're all superheroes, you've all been fighting crime already, and Tadashi's alive, too!”

“Technically speaking, this is only a very good copy of most of my brain, stored in Baymax's caregiver matrix.” Tadashi said from Baymax's video screen chest. “I'm not actually 'alive.'”

“Details, details!” Hiro casually waved his brother off. “I was afraid you were all going to think I was crazy or something when I suggested you guys become superheroes, but you already are!”

Said superheroes cast uneasy glances at each other, still coping with the fact that their college friends and their fellow crime-fighters were actually one and the same—except for Honey Lemon, who had curled back up on the couch and went into a semi-catatonic state immediately after the group hug.

“All we have to do now is get your equipment to my workshop, build you guys some upgrades alongside Baymax's superscanner, and then we can go after Krei!”

“Woah, woah, woah!” Wasabi held out his hands. “Hold up, Hiro! I'm seeing a lot of holes and problems in your plan here—first of all, our gear isn't the same as battle bots, we use those things to fight gangsters with guns, and need them to protect us from bullets, knives, and worse.

"And trust me, when superheroes come knocking, ammo conservation is the last thing on a criminal's mind!”

“Pfft, that's easy!” Hiro cried. “I made all of your gear in the first place, and still own all of your schematics and research, too! All that was really stopping me was client confidentiality, intellectual property, and the lack of funding, and I know Fred here isn't lacking in that last department!”

“Yep, I'm not!” Fred added.

GoGo scowled. “Wait, you're Smiling Jack, the arms dealer?”

“The one and only!” Hiro grinned, making his face look much like the infamous mask he always wore in that persona.

“Why didn't you tell us this earlier?!” Wasabi cried. “This is very important and useful information!”

“Well _excuse_ me for being in shock after discovering my brother's actually sorta-alive, and all of his nerd school friends are secretly superheroes!”

From Baymax's screen, Tadashi scowled. “So you mean all this time, what you were actually doing after you said you quit bot fighting was make weapons and equipment for superheroes. And you never once thought of telling me or Aunt Cass about it.”

Hiro nodded. “I was planning on doing it after _you_ told us that all this time you were 'working late in the lab,' you were actually running around in the streets at night in a costume, fighting criminals, slinging energy bolts at them or just punching them.

Tadashi paused. _“Touche,_ little brother.”

“I learned from the best.” Hiro replied.

Wasabi hummed. “Well, that solves that, but what about this? Sure, we've worked together in the past, but we've never actually fought a full-fledged _supervillain_. Most of them were just gangsters or street thugs with baseball bats, knives, and guns. Occasionally grenades and explosives, but those are the exception, not the rule.”

“Plus, none of them ever thought of making their own supersuits, _or_ building a totally awesome but also totally terrifying giant army of microbots!” Fred added. “You know, mostly because Hiro hadn't invented them yet.”

“Which is why it's great that we all know your secret identities now!” Hiro replied. “Now we can coordinate and plan outside of the action, help each other out with normal life problems, and share our tech! Man, you guys have no idea how much I wanted to integrate some of your designs into the others suits', but, you know, client confidentiality, intellectual property, and funding!”

Wasabi frowned deeper, settled back into his seat, and got to thinking. After a few moments, he looked back at Hiro, looking resigned. “I… see what you mean. I guess this big reveal really is a good thing after all.”

GoGo grunted her agreement.

“Heck yeah it is!” Fred pumped his fist into the air. “Now we can totally pull off Avengers levels of adventures and crime-fighting! We can even get cool team badges on our gear now that we're all in this together! So, you guys feel more like an SF7 or just a 7 on our shoulders, or do we get like individual numbers from 1-7? Can I be number 3?”

“ _No.”_ GoGo said.

“Was that 'No.' to the SF7, just the 7, the 1-7, or me being the 3? Because if you want the 3, GoGo, I'm totally cool with giving it to you.”

“I think costumes and logos can wait, Fred.” Tadashi said. “We've got a lot of more important problems to think about—like, say, building me a new body since I can't use my old one anymore, and all.”

Fred looked back at Tadashi on Baymax's screen, put his hand to his chin, and nodded. “Hmm, yeah, that is pretty important... though maybe we can just retain all our original costumes without any of the SF7 logos, you know? Just like the actual Avengers?

“Individualism was a big part for them, and we've all established some form of rep or style; would be a shame to lose all of that—especially The Cat Chemist Call, right, Honey Lemon?” Fred turned to Honey Lemon and grinned.

Honey Lemon remained catatonic, still blankly staring at the cushions.

“Honey?” Fred repeated. “Or is it Chemical Kitten right now? Can I use Kitty? Or maybe not because that's your superhero identity and all...”

Still no response. The others looked at each other with worry, before GoGo hopped off the couch and walked over to her.

Honey Lemon saw GoGo. Her eyes widened. She screamed, and sprung up into the air and over the back of the couch like a startled cat.

_Whumph!_

Everyone sans Baymax cringed. The robot waddled his way around the couch while the others peered over the top.

“… I'm okay!” Honey Lemon cried as she was sprawled on the floor on her stomach, her long limbs splayed about, her glasses askew.

“I shall scan you now for injuries.” Baymax announced.

“NO! NO SCANNING!”

Honey Lemon frantically scrambled away from the couch and over to Fred's door. Everyone watched as she clawed at the doorknob and used it to shakily pull herself back up to her feet. Her knees were shaking, her feet were awkwardly splayed about in her platform heels.

“I'm fine!” Honey said, her voice several pitches too high. “See?” She forced a grin.

Fred chuckled nervously. “Since cats always land on their feet, right?”

Honey Lemon paled. Seconds afterward, they watched and heard Honey Lemon dash back up the hall and out of the sight, her heels clacking frantically on the floors. Fred's bedroom door swung about in her wake.

Fred frowned. “… Was it something I said…?”

“Honey Lemon was showing highly elevated stress levels, emotional unease, and even signs that lead me to believe she had just narrowly avoided a nervous breakdown. I believe she is not coping with the loss of her 'secret identity' as well as you all have. From what I have gathered from your discussions, my emotional health databases, and the 'Superhero' subroutines Tadashi had programmed in me, a superhero's 'secret identity' is extremely important, and must remain a secret as much as possible.”

Fred nodded slowly. “Yeah... you really don't want people or your enemies knowing who you are beneath the mask, so they don't try and attack you when you're not in costume. Or your friends and family—and them, too, now that I think about, so they don't freak out that you're out fighting crime and—”

Realization suddenly hit all the boys except Hiro. They turned to GoGo.

GoGo stopped chewing her gum, turned red, and stared at the floor.

“Oh!” Wasabi cried. “Yeah, you and Honey Lemon… you two were together as Mercuria and Chemical Kitten, right?”

“That or at the very least you two were doing some seriously hardcore flirting with one another.” Fred continued. “Or she was just hardcore flirting with you, and you never stopped her.”

“And Honey always did flirt with you a _lot_ more than she did everyone else...” Tadashi added.

“Yeah, but didn't she flirt with everyone?” Hiro asked. “I don't see how that—“ He blinked. “Oh. Oh! OOOOHHHHhhhh… rigghttt… _that_. I could see how that could make things… awkward.”

The boys turned to Hiro now. GoGo burned even brighter red.

“ _What_ would make things awkward?” Tadashi asked.

Hiro coughed and looked away. “Client confidentiality.”

GoGo hopped off the couch once more, and awkwardly shuffled out of Fred's bedroom.

“Should we… I don't know, do something?” Fred asked. “Seeing as we're a team, and teams help each other out and all...”

“I'm afraid intervening at this moment will not be beneficial to either GoGo or Honey Lemon's emotional states; this seems to be a matter that can only they can resolve. Preferably with an unbiased third party as a mediator, but I also believe they do not desire such.”

GoGo shut the door and the rest of their conversation behind her. She looked at the vast expanse of hallways and doors before her, and started thinking about where she might find Honey Lemon.

“Ms. GoGo?”

GoGo looked up and saw Heathcliff, standing before her as stoic as ever. “Ms. Honey Lemon wished to deliver a message to you.” He cleared his throat. “'I'm sorry, but Chemical Kitten may be cool and confident, but Honey Lemon's just a big ole scaredy cat.'”

GoGo frowned. “Thanks, Heathcliff. Could you tell her...” She trailed off.

“That you wish to speak with her privately at the soonest possible opportunity?” Heathcliff offered.

GoGo nodded. “Yeah. That.”

Heathcliff nodded. “I shall make sure she receives your message. Incidentally, this errand shall bring me to the guest rooms, where Ms. Honey Lemon has already retired, and Master Frederick has already had your and the others' rooms prepared.

“Do you wish me to escort you there so you may get some rest? It would seem you have had what is called 'a very long night.'”

GoGo sighed. “Lead the way.”


	2. Cat/Chemist Complications

“Maybe we should have cool code names for our team maneuvers! You know, like Kajiki and Mercuria could be 'Sailfish,' because it'd involve Wasabi riding on GoGo’s shoulders and they just zoom into groups of bad guys, and then they start tornado-ing it up with his blades and her shields!

“Man, that’d be so cool...” Fred nodded dreamily before he shoveled another spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

No one paid him much attention and kept on eating their own breakfasts. After getting chased through the streets of San Fransokoyo by a masked maniac trying to kill them, almost drowning to death in the Bay, and the loss of their secret identities, everyone was eager to return to something normal.

Everyone except Honey Lemon, who'd left earlier in the morning on a mysterious errand with Heathcliff.

No one bothered themselves with worrying about her; after Yokai's chase made it to international television, police were swarming San Fransokyo, and classes and businesses had been canceled for the next couple of days to free up the highways for investigators and SWAT teams, and keep civilians safely inside their homes.

GoGo found it was hard to enjoy her breakfast sandwich while there was a conspicuously empty seat and unused plate right across her, though.

“Master Frederick and company?” Heathcliff stepped into the dining room's archway. “Ms. Honey Lemon has returned.”

The butler stood to the side, and gestured to Honey Lemon as she came into the room, lugging a duffel bag over her shoulder. She smiled and waved to the others.

It was painfully obvious she was doing her best to avoid eye-contact with GoGo. The moment she saw her place was right across hers and paled, more so.

GoGo slipped out of her seat, and took her plate with her to the furthest free seat from Honey's. Without a word, she sat back down and resumed eating her food, eyes never looking up from her meal.

Honey Lemon awkwardly stepped in with her head down, dropped the duffel bag by her chair before sat down and started filling her plate.

An awkward silence fell over the room, up until they were all done eating, Heathcliff had cleared every plate off the table, then carted them off to the kitchen.

“So...” Hiro said. “Everyone ready to discuss how we're going to get ready to catch Yokai?”

Honey Lemon started and spluttered. “One second!” She frantically slipped out of her seat and knelt down beside the bag. The others watched as she opened it, grabbed her Chemical Kitten mask from inside, and put it on her face.

The mask's green eyes were already glowing by the time she sat back down in her chair, looking much calmer than earlier.

“Alright, now that this cat’s come back from her cradle, colour me curious about how we’re going to beat that baddie that burned Tadashi _badly.”_

The others cast each other concerned glances, before turning back to Chemical Kitten, the perennial grin on her mask feeling more unerring than playful.

“… I've only got an outline of it, seeing as none of us have computers and all our phones got drowned in the bay, but basically: we get all of your equipment to my workshop, I build you all some upgrades, we train in Fred's dad's secret underground training facility that was underneath this mansion this entire time, then we all go find Yokai!”

“Sounds good~” Chemical Kitten purred. “Since this cat's already got her costume covered, shall I spring and saunter on over to the warehouse, Hiro?”

Hiro nodded. “We'll meet you there, Honey.”

Chemical Kitten chuckled. “Sweetie, your eyes need examining—you're talking to a crime-fighting cat chemist right now. Besides, the girl you think you're talking to wouldn’t touch this type of thing with a thirty-thousand foot pole.”

Hiro nodded slowly. “O-kay… we'll meet you there, Kitty.”

Chemical Kitten nodded. The way she didn't part her mouthpiece and show everyone her smile before she left her seat was rather telling. “This cat's high tailing it back to the guest rooms, get completely costumed up!” She said as she picked up and slung her dufflebag over her shoulder once more.

The others watched her leave in silence, except for GoGo, still staring at the table. The dining room was silent once more until the clack-clack of Kitty's heels disappeared down the halls.

“I do believe now is an excellent time to attempt communication with Honey Lemon, GoGo.” Baymax said. “She appears to be using her 'Chemical Kitten' persona as a means to dissociate herself from her secret identity, and speak with you all as normal, save her use of alliteration and puns in her speech.”

The others looked at GoGo and gave her their own encouragement with smiles, thumbs up, and mouthed words.

GoGo looked up at them, and scowled. Then, she sighed, got out of her seat, and went after Chemical Kitten.

* * *

Not wearing her spring-loaded boots, GoGo quickly caught up to Kitty in the halls.

The cat chemist was already waiting for her, her green eyes clearly focused on GoGo. If she was wearing her robotic tail, there was little doubt it would have been playfully swishing behind her.

“Have something to say, sweetie~?” Kitty asked.

GoGo stopped and took a moment to catch her breath. “Did Heathcliff tell you?”

For the briefest moment, Kitty's cool, playful aura wavered. “Yes—to Honey Lemon, not this cat. So if you're going to ask about her answer, I'm afraid it'll be _after_ she comes out of her little coward's corner.”

GoGo sighed. “Could you pass her a message for me, then?”

Chemical Kitten's mouth piece parted to reveal her scowl. The glow of her green eyes narrowed as the LEDs dimmed to copy her actual expression.

“Sweetie, I'm a crime-fighting cat chemist, not a courier. And besides that: it's against The Roomie Rules. The Cat Chemist Call comes on, she goes in, I go out, I do my thing. When the baddies are beaten, I go in, she goes out, and she does her thing.

“We _mind our own damn business_ , almost never speak to each other _ever,_ and keep the border between us clear and cleanly cut.”

Kitty's eyes turned red. “You got that?”

GoGo was unfazed. “Yeah.”

Chemical Kitten's eyes turned back to green, her lips curling up into a contented smile before her mouthpiece slid over it once more. “Good! Pretty pleased we can have civil conversations and amicable agreements, GoGo.” She said.

She turned around and started walking back down the hallways.

“Would you happen to know when Honey might be back?” GoGo asked. “I need to inform her I've always been in love with her, and the only problem with you and her sharing the same body is that I'm an awkward nerd who can't confess and doesn't know how to do relationships right.”

Kitty froze.

A long silence passed between them, just standing in the halls, GoGo looking at Chemical Kitten's back.

“… I don't know. It's not my business. And GoGo?”

“Yeah?”

“Alliterating almost all the things I say is _my_ thing.”

“I know. But you're kinda contagious, Kitty—speaking of such: Mercuria wants you to know you've made her plenty love-sick, too, and she never wants to get cured.”

Another long silence.

Without another word, Chemical Kitten walked away and disappeared around the corner.

GoGo frowned and slowly blew a bubble. She turned around and saw Heathcliff standing to one side, a polite distance away from her.

“Master Frederick wishes to tell you that the car is waiting, and they shall leave as soon as you join them, Ms. GoGo. Mr. Wasabi shall personally brief you on the order that you will be acquiring your equipment before delivering all of you to Mr. Hiro's workshop.”

GoGo popped her bubble, and gestured for Heathcliff to lead the way once more.


	3. Upgrades and Ultimatums

“How did you afford all this?!” Wasabi yelled as they stepped into Hiro's extremely well-equipped workshop.

“Oh, you know, all my winnings from my years of botfighting; superheroes like you guys taking your armour in for creation, repair, and upgrades; a little component and part fabrication for botfighters on the side for cash.” Hiro said nonchalantly.

Still stuck in Baymax's video screen, Tadashi shot Hiro a dirty look.

Hiro shrugged. “Hey, I have to make up for the Superhero Discount somehow, don't I?”

“And also for when you take treats instead of cold cash!” Chemical Kitten said as she dropped down from atop one of the many factory-grade robot arms. “Nice to notice all your tools and toys are in tip-top shape and top of the line.”

Hiro beamed. “Only the best for my clients! You guys just put all your gear on that table over there.” He gestured to a long table on the side, situated close by to a number of 3D scanners, computer terminals, and a vending machine filled with gummy bears.

“... You too, Kitty. Your mask, your belt, and your tail, at least.”

Chemical Kitten blinked. She stared at Hiro while the others quietly deposited their duffel bags, luggage cases, and sacks on the table. (In Fred's case, he wheeled in his suit on a skeleton and a hand truck.)

Hiro sucked a breath and shot Chemical Kitten an apologetic look. “I'm sorry, Kitty; I got to thinking about all the fine details in the car, and I realized, this isn't just an upgrade job—they're outright replacements. A lot of your gear had to be made on a budget, with limited access to materials, _and_ time constraints because I obviously I couldn't stay out too late at night.

“Now, with Fred's budget of basically infinity; his dad's friends in the military, research laboratories, and suppliers that 'don't exist'; and the next three days or so with no class, no work, and Aunt Cass too busy looking for a bulletproof vest for cats… we can do pretty much anything with your equipment now.

“Make everything better. Add a lot of cool features. Fix problems we didn't know existed. But to do that in time to catch Yokai before he might strike again, I'm gonna have to take some shortcuts—namely, cannibalizing your old gear.

“For starter's there's a lot of field data and automatic calibrations inside your targeting system. Just taking out your current Cat's Eyes, upgrading them, and putting them into the new mask will be faster, easier, and better for all of us.

“ _Plusss_ it also neatly segues into another thing we talked about in the car.” Hiro slowly turned his eyes to GoGo, leaning back and sulking in the corner while chewing her gum. “GoGo will tell you _alll_ about it while all of us but Baymax will be in my office over there.” He thumbed to the door as he and started walking away.

“And,I'm just going to go hang out _wayyy_ inside Baymax! Later, guys.” Tadashi said before Baymax's video screen chest blinked off.

The bubble GoGo was blowing exploded. She started and tried to protest, but the sticky gum in her mouth kept her from getting out more than an angry splutter. She glared daggers at the boys as they quickly shuffled out of the workshop.

“So, what's to talk about this time, GoGo?”

GoGo snapped her attention back to Chemical Kitten, standing still with her robotic tail hanging limp behind her legs. The lights in her eyes were completely on, but GoGo could tell it was because she'd turned off the mimic function—what she always did when she was being interrogated, intimidated, or irritated.

All the anger drained from GoGo, her mouth fell open as much as the gum would let her.

“… You might want to get that while this cat collects some chairs and takes them to a table...” Chemical Kitten mumbled as she awkwardly shuffled off.

Soon the two of them were sitting at one of Hiro's empty tables, sitting across each other, Baymax standing beside them. It wasn't very wide; the two of them could easily reach over and touch the other, which only made Kitty wish she had set the chairs down lengthwise.

The two of them spent a few moments just awkwardly staring at each other, the expression in Kitty's eyes or the painted grin on her face unchanging.

“If you would like, I could declare and expound upon the issues of this discussion in your steads.” Baymax offered.

“I'd like that a lot.” Kitty said.

GoGo grunted her agreement.

“Shall we begin, then?”

The two of them cast each other uneasy glances. Then, they both turned to Baymax and nodded.

“The first concern of this discussion is that the other members of the team are worried that the tension between your civilian identities, Honey and GoGo, will adversely affect your performance during our hunt for Yokai, and in future crime-fighting. Chemical Kitten, please speak first.”

Silence.

“… Can GoGo go get her gear first? I… think I'll have a tough time talking to her if she's not Mercuria.”

“That would depend on GoGo herself.” Baymax turned to her. “GoGo, would you agree to being in costume and speaking to Chemical Kitten as Mercuria?”

GoGo shrugged and left to do just that. Some time later, she walked back to the table in full gear, sans her discs. Her expression was, as always, completely unreadable underneath her visor, nothing to be seen but the aerodynamic helmet with the pseudo-Grecian designs.

Chemical Kitten's mouthpiece parted to show her smile. “Much better! Thanks, 'Curia.”

Mercuria grunted.

“Shall we resume our discussions now?”

“Yep! And you can go tell the others they've got no cat chemist concerns or complications to carp or complain about—I haven't been in the superhero business for this long with saying 'So long!' to stress from problems that don't involve punching people once the costume comes on.”

Baymax nodded and turned his head. "And you, Mercuria?”

Mercuria grunted. “Same.”

Baymax nodded again. “Then I have your promises that you will not let any issues or problems from your civilian alter-egos adversely affect your emotional states and performance during crime-fighting?”

Kitty chuckled. “I just said that, didn't I?”

Mercuria nodded.

Baymax seemed to smile. “Excellent. Now, please take your helmets or facial coverings off, and speak to each other as Honey Lemon and GoGo.”

Mercuria stiffened. Chemical Kitten's unblinking eyes snapped to Baymax and stayed there.

“… Could you say that again? Didn't quite catch that.” Kitty said, her voice a pitch higher than earlier.

“Please remove your helmets or facial coverings, and speak to each other as Honey Lemon and GoGo. It is required for the second concern of this discussion: that the interpersonal issues between your civilian and superhero identities will persist in your normal lives, and make it difficult, awkward, and uncomfortable for all of you to interact with each other, particularly in the 'Nerd Lab.'”

The two heroes looked at each other, the cat's green eyes peering intently at the gladiator without a face.

“I will happily allow whatever means it requires for you two to remove them, sans leaving the room and communicating remotely or causing each other physical harm.”

More silence, just the two of them staring, Baymax calmly watching and scanning them both.

“I'll go first.” Mercuria put her gloves to her helmet, and undid the seals. It was a familiar gesture, one she hadn't done in front of any of the others—except for that one time, just a few nights ago…

She'd already pulled her helmet past her cheeks. There was no hiding the blush, the look on her face that told Kitty that she remembered.

GoGo had a distinct feeling Kitty did, too, you just couldn't see it behind the mask.

GoGo laid her helmet down on the table. It felt weird, being in full costume sans her helmet, arguably the most important and iconic part of it. She looked up at Chemical Kitten, mask still on her face, and wordlessly told her it was her turn.

“… Turn around, please.” Kitty said. “And don't look back.”

GoGo stood up, turned her chair around, and sat back down. She studied the far wall, focusing on all the grime and the pockmarks on it.

Honey Lemon quietly laid her mask on the table. “… It's off.”

“Shall we continue, then?” Baymax asked.

GoGo grunted.

“… Yes...”

“Do you wish to go first, Honey Lemon, or shall GoGo start the discussion again?”

Honey Lemon choked.

GoGo frowned. “I'll do it.”

Baymax nodded. “GoGo, what do you think is the key issue that is causing all of these problems between you and Honey Lemon?”

“Roomie Rules.”

“And what are these 'Roomie Rules'?”

“They're an agreement I have between Chemical Kitten and me—I mean, between myself and my alter-ego.” Honey Lemon explained. “It's… basically, when it comes to all the normal things like school, work, or just daily life, that's all me, and when it comes to fighting crime, the flirting, the… the…” She whimpered, her voice quieting to barely a whisper. “The teasing... that's… that's all Chemical Kitten.”

Baymax nodded. “I see. And you use this as a coping mechanism for the stress and the issues arising from your two lives?”

Honey Lemon sighed. “I can't even put on the rest of the costume unless I have the mask on first, yeah...”

Baymax nodded again. “GoGo, do you have any issues with Honey Lemon and Chemical Kitten being one and the same?”

“NOT THE SAME PERSON!”

GoGo jumped. Honey Lemon squeaked and flinched.

“… It's kind of like schizophrenia…” Honey Lemon mumbled. “They're two separate people in my head—there's only Honey Lemon and Chemical Kitten, no Honey Kitty.”

Baymax nodded. “An interesting phenomenon, one I will ponder on and evaluate at a later time. Again, GoGo, do you have any issues with Honey Lemon and Chemical Kitten sharing the same body?”

“No. I told you—Kitty, at least. Don't you guys believe me…?”

Another long silence.

Honey Lemon stared at the table. “… We both do. I've lied hundreds of times, I know when someone's telling the truth or feeding me fibs.”

GoGo blinked.

Honey Lemon cringed. “Damn it, now I’m alliterating my regular words too!”

Honey Lemon spluttered and struggled to form words, GoGo just quietly stared at the wall, trying to find something to say. Both of them failed and another awkward silence fell, until Baymax broke it.

“Sorry to intrude on your discussion, but we are close to taking up more time than the others had allotted for this. Is there anything you wish to say before we pause for now, or shall we save it for the next discussion?”

Honey Lemon took a deep breath and sighed. “… GoGo. Tell Mercuria Chemical Kitten's perfectly happy to go about business as usual—all the flirting, the teasing, maybe even a little groping if you're fine with it. And me… I… I… I'm just not as brave as her, or confident as her, or--”

“Honey. It's okay.” GoGo said to the far-wall. “I don't hate you. It's okay. We can go on like we did back then. Before all this.”

Honey Lemon stared at the table, completely silent.

Baymax beeped. “That was my alarm. I am afraid we will have to continue this discussion at a later time.”

“It's fine...” Honey Lemon mumbled.

It really wasn't. But right now, they had more important things to worry about.


	4. Last Call For First Mission

“Hey 'Curia! How's it hangin'?”

Mercuria flinched and staggered back after she suddenly came face-to-face with Chemical Kitten. The cat chemist was smiling her usual smile, mouthpiece parted and eyes gleaming mischievously, except this time, she was upside-down.

Specifically, hanging in the doorway to one of Fred's dad's many training rooms in the secret base just underneath the mansion.

Mercuria groaned quietly at the pun, and ducked past Chemical Kitten and into the room. She looked back and saw that Kitty was hanging off the wall by her gloves and boots with the help of their freshly upgraded “claws.” Her new and improved robot tail happily swished about behind her, letting off little sparks of energy like Crash's bolts, only in pink.

Mercuria also saw that gravity had given her a good shot up (or rather, down) Kitty's skirt.

The gladiator blushed. Kitty still wore the pair of short shorts underneath, but it was always hard not to imagine what lay beneath.

“… I see you're enjoying the new equipment.” Mercuria muttered flatly.

Chemical Kitten turned her head up and grinned at Mercuria. “They're terrific toys, especially these new Power Paws! Now this cat can climb up, down, and around walls, than just pounce and land on my feet!”

Mercuria nodded. “Pretty handy.”

“No doubts about it! So, you gonna come closer so we can kiss sorta-Spiderman-style~?” Kitty chuckled. “Seriously speaking, though I'm starting to slip.”

Mercuria walked forward, and held out her arms. She looked up as Chemical Kitten let go of the wall, spun around in the air, and landed right into her arms. She was in the perfect position to bring their faces (or rather, mask and helmet) inches away from each other, and artfully drape one of her arm's over the gladiator's shoulder.

“Woo! Nice catch, 'Curia~” Chemical Kitten purred. “This is one time I'm happy I _didn't_ make you wibbly wobbly-weak in the knees...~”

Mercuria blushed even harder as she held Chemical Kitten up. “… You planned this?”

Chemical Kitten chuckled and brought her lips up to where Mercuria's ear would have been. “Guilty as charged~”

Mercuria almost dropped her, but the new motorized joints all over her armour kicked in and kept the both of them up.

Kitty pulled back, still grinning. _“_ _And_ I saved the best for last!” She held up one of her paws in the air and held it out like she was holding her phone. She fluttered her eyes thrice.

_Click._

“Super selfie module! Don't know how I ever did without it.”

Mercuria sighed and gently swung Kitty down to the floor, feet first. The gladiator took a step back and looked at the cat chemist, her mouthpiece still parted, her lips still smiling, her tail still swishing merrily behind her.

“So, what takes you to this training room, 'Curia?” Kitty gestured to the arena further inside the room. “Care to see if this cat's claws can catch you and your new super shields and super speedy skates?” She held out her new and improved “front paws,” the nails crackling and glowing with energy and plasma. “I've got a good feeling about me winning this time—you've only got the element of surprise once, after all.”

Mercuria shook her head. “I was hoping to talk to you. Privately.”

Kitty's mouthpiece slid back in place, the 3 shaped grin back in place. “This cat's got a bad feeling about this.” She mumbled as her tail stopped swishing.

“That a 'No'?”

Chemical Kitten slowly shook her head and stepped further inside. “Just tread lightly, alright? Baymax and the Bros are going to be back soon, and this cat's trying to keep out of trouble.”

“Give me five minutes.”

Kitty's tail swished through the air once. “Clock's counting down, Curia.”

Mercuria punched the button beside the door. The doors sealed shut, the lights in the ceiling above turned on and off, spotlighting the arena in the center and dimming the sidelines.

Chemical Kitten's narrowed eyes glowed in the low light. Her tail swished ominously behind her. “Lay it on me.”

“When can we sit down and talk again, with Baymax?”

Kitty's mouthpiece parted to show her scowl. “I told you plenty of times, I don't stick my paws into Honey Lemon's business.”

“I know that. I meant you—I want to talk about us. As Mercuria and Chemical Kitten. I was always too busy or distracted to ask: what am I to you, really? What _are_ we?”

Kitty's scowl softened. Her tail stopped swishing. “That's it?”

“That's it. I want to know if I'm just a toy you play with, or if I actually mean something more to you.”

Kitty's mouthpiece slid back on. The room was silent for a few moments.

“As soon we beat this baddie, alright?”

Mercuria nodded once. “Got it. Thanks.” She spun around on her heel and punched the button again. The doors opened, the whole room was light up.

“Mercuria?”

The gladiator looked over her shoulder.

“Here's a hint: I love you a lot more than just a pretty plaything.” Kitty smiled.

Under her helmet, Mercuria smiled back.

* * *

The afternoon had grown late by the time Baymax and Mainframe (formerly known as Smiling Jack) touched back down on Fredzilla's backyard. There was still enough light to cast all them in a golden glow, their brand new armour shining as they gathered around in a circle.

Save for a few notable new modules or streamlining to their designs to accommodate the new materials and systems upgrades, everyone looked almost the same as they did before the upgrade-- except Crash, that is. Though he lacked a mouth to smile with, from the glow of his four optical sensors—a trio on one side, a single on the other—you could tell he rather enjoyed his new robot body. Most of his old armour and equipment had been retrofitted and redesigned to fit over the humanoid frame, same size and silhoutte as his old organic body except with reverse-jointed legs, hooves on his feet, and a little extra muscle in places where he used to be lithe or just noodley.

“Got a lead on our baddie, boys?” Chemical Kitten asked with a grin.

“You betcha!” Mainframe happily announced from atop Baymax's back. “He's hanging out in an island not far from the city; it'll probably only take us an hour or less to fly out there and get Krei!”

Kajiki blinked. “Wait, _fly?”_

Crashed chuckled. “Yeah, swimming out there might take a little too long.”

Mainframe hopped off Baymax and turned to the others. “Hope you've all broken in your new gear and got some rest, because we're taking off in five! If anyone needs to use the bathroom, now might be a good time.” He grinned, though the glow of his visor, it was impossible see.

Kajiki dropped his shoulders and sighed.

“I have detected a dramatic drop in your mood, Agent Kajiki.” Baymax said. “Is there anything the matter?”

“Just a small matter: I am terrified of heights. That might be trouble.” Kajiki said flatly.

Fredzilla patted him on the back. With the new servos in his suit, he sent Kajiki stumbling forward. “Woops, sorry about that! Anyway, no worries,'Jiki! You've faced worse, haven't you?”

Kajiki glared at Fredzilla from over his shoulder and said nothing.

“I take it since we're all still here you guys are ready to go?” Crash asked.

Fredzilla threw his super claws up into the air. “Heck yes! I've even turned my underwear inside out just for the occasion!”

Kajiki recoiled. “Yes...”

Chemical Kitten giggled. “This cat's ready to come out and play!”

Mercuria grunted.

“Alright!” Mainframe pumped fist into the air. “Just one more thing we have to do—everyone, step forward, keep the circle. You too, Baymax.”

The heroes obliged, and soon four of the seven of them were looking at Mainframe and Crash for instructions.

“Me and Crash discussed this while me and Baymax were taking his wings out for a spin.” Mainframe explained. “Perks of a secured connection and the internet.”

“Something of a good luck thing, now that we're about to go out on our first team mission against an actual supervillain.” Crash continued. “Baymax, start us off.”

The robot raised one of his new steel clad fists. “One.”

Mercuria scowled. “Please don't...”

Mainframe laughed and put his own fist next to Baymax. “Two!”

Fredzilla tittered in excitement. “Oh man, this is actually happening, this is actually happening!”

Crash calmly added his own robotic fist to the growing circle. “Three.”

One of Fredzilla's arm shot up, super claws pointed down. “FOUR!”

Kajiki shrugged. “Five.” He put in his own gloved hand.

Chemical Kitten laughed and raised a white paw. “Six~!”

Mercuria alternated glared at her teammates. The circle of fists was only missing one more to make it complete.

“C'mon, Mercuria, we can't be the San Fransokyo 7 without you!” Fredzilla cried.

“We've done it thousands of times, it's pretty easy.” Crash said.

“Just for me, 'Curia? Pleeeaaaaseee?” Chemical Kitten batted her eyes at her.

Mercuria groaned and raised her fist. “Seven...”

Seven fists bumped in the center, then flew back and up into the air.

“Boosh!” Crash, Mainframe, Fredzilla, Chemical Kitten, and Kajiki cried with varying levels of enthusiasm.

“Balalala!” Baymax said.

Mercuria just remained quiet and quickly brought her arm back down.

“Aw man, the San Fransokyo 7's first mission starts for real!” Fredzilla started excitedly bouncing about on his feet. “Are you guys as psyched as I am? Because I'm pretty psyched!”

Baymax bent down at the waist. Mainframe stepped back and gestured to him. “Ladies first!”

Chemical Kitten chuckled and blew Mainframe a kiss before she gave a little spring-loaded hop up onto one of Baymax's shoulders. “You coming, 'Curia?” She said as she knelt down and made herself comfortable.

Mercuria climbed up after her, no spring-loaded boots but the servos in her armour made it easy to climb up beside Kitty. She looked over to the rest, then off to San Fransokyo in the distance, a frown on her face.

She flinched as she felt someone touch her hand. Her head snapped back to Chemical Kitten and saw her holding her bronze-yellow glove up into the air, her new claws lightly raking on the finish.

Her mouthpiece parted to show off her smile.

Mercuria pressed a button inside her helmet, and the lower part of it slid up. She smiled back.

“Save the hot make-out session for _after_ we get back, alright?” Mainframe said as he stepped his hands and feet onto the magnetic holds on Baymax's back.

“We still sorta have to avenge my death and stop Krei from whatever he's planning to do.” Crash continued as he latched himself onto Baymax's chest. “Priorities please, ladies.”

Mercuria scowled, pressed the button again, and her helmet was whole once more.

Chemical Kitten giggled, gave her one last squeeze, then let go.

The rest climbed on, and off they flew into the skies of San Fransokyo and towards the island in the distance.


	5. Exploring Creepy Abandoned Government Bases For Superheroes

“Oh, man, our first team landing as the SF7! Isn't this awesome?” Fredzilla cried as he happily hopped off Baymax's arm, bouncing on his heels on the concrete dock.

“Says the man who is not afraid of heights...” Kajiki groaned as he wearily stepped back onto solid ground. He was about to take a deep breath of relief before his eyes fell on a sign on the chain link fence nearby.

“Quarantine – Keep Out.” He deadpanned. “In big, bright red letters, too. How encouraging.”

“Personally, this cat sees that as the 'Mice Are Out – Come Over and Play'.” Chemical Kitten purred as she climbed off Baymax's shoulder.

Mercuria said nothing as she jumped down from the other side.

“Completely abandoned, quarantine signs, and a chain link fence all over the perimeter—yup, this looks like a secret government base.” Mainframe said as he climbed off Baymax. “Seems like the perfect place to be if you're a supervillain.”

“Exactly.” Crash said as he let go of Baymax's chest. “Now enough banter; it may look empty from the outside, but five of the seven of us know it probably isn't. Superhero faces, everyone; we don't want to disappoint whoever's inside.”

The San Fransokyo 7 assembled in front of the massive metal doors, spreading out with their weapons ready, prepared to face whatever it was that lay in wait. Agent Kajiki stood in the center of, his arms spread at his sides, a grin under his mask.

Suddenly, a sound from behind them!

All six heroes and the one robot turned around and readied their chemical bells, plasma blades, bolts of energy, electrified gloves, razor discs, rocket fists, and flame breath.

“False alarm!” Crash cried. “Just a pigeon.”

Chemical Kitten chuckled as she tossed the bell in her hand to her robotic tail. “Heh, imagine if we all went wild and wailed on wings over here?” Her tail swished slowly behind her, careful not to agitate the chemical bomb wrapped around its tip.

“Speculation later.” Kajiki said as he turned back around to the door. “Now, we enter.”

The others quietly agreed, and got back into position.

With a flurry of slashes and the hiss of melting metal, the blast doors suddenly had dozens of glowing hot lines all across its surface.

Kajiki calmly sheathed his blades.

Chunks of the door fell down to the ground in a messy heap immediately after.

Fredzilla rumbled happily. “Oooh, man, that never gets old!”

“ _Wow._ I helped make those things, and even _I_ didn't know you could do that with them...” Mainframe said as the others started making their way through the rubble, Baymax leading.

“A blade is only as good as the hand that wields it.” Kajiki said with pride before heading in.

* * *

“Hey guys, you ever wonder if we should have our own theme song, now that we're an official team and all?” Fredzilla said as the team walked down the empty hallways of the facility.

“No.” Mercuria grunted.

“Aw, just hear me out, will you? I mean, it's okay to have a theme song, right? Like Kitty over here?” Fredzilla gestured to her.

“Of course it is, cutie, but it's even better to talk tunes when we have all our claws in, not out!”

Fredzilla sighed. “Yeah, I see your point—but maybe we could decide on how it starts, or what its main gimmick is supposed to be, then hash out everything else later?”

“Silence is golden.” Kajiki said. “Yours, much more valuable.”

“I don't think we should start it out like that, 'Jiki, but you have given me an idea! What if there was like a spoken narration, talking about how we all started out as superheroes all in our own ways, we went out on lots of awesome adventures, and then we joined forces and formed the SF7, and now we're having even _more_ awesome adventures?"

Fredzilla paused. “Or is it supposed to be awesomer? Is awesomer even a word? Can we invent it, if it isn't?”

Mainframe texted his brother through their private connection. “Is Fred always like this?”

“Pretty much.” Crash replied, also in text.

“And none of you ever figured it out, huh?”

“You try maintaining a secret identity and see if you have time to worry about finding out everyone else's.”

“Point.”

“… And then we all start counting off from one to seven, like 'One! Two! Three!'--”

Fredzilla stopped in his tracks, as did everyone else when they noticed the one door in the hall that had been left open. It looked like it had been like that for a while, judging by all the dust.

“Colour me _very_ surprised if that room turns out to be a supply closet...” Crash mumbled.

The heroes warily fell into formation once more. Being the bulkiest and most protected, Baymax went in first.

“Well what do we have here…?” Mainframe murmured as he entered and saw the inside.

Two massive circular structures filled most of the room, one of them in ruins as if from a powerful explosion, the second almost completely, neatly disassembled. A giant hole in the ceiling provided light, dust and debris gently floating down from above.

A large control room overlooked the both of them. The heroes set their sights to it and started climbing up the stairs.

“Let's hope the power's still on here...” Crash said as he scanned and eyed the dark crevices and the wild growth up above.

Crash and Mainframe started turning the systems on, a bevy of monitors inside flickering back to life after who-knows-how-long. “Thank you, renewable energy sources.” Mainframe said as he settled by a terminal, and Crash looked for a place to plug himself in.

“Seems like whoever was here before us didn't lock up after they were done.” Crash said as he jacked himself into the system, the lights of his optic sensors dimming as he transferred part of himself to the system.

“Pretty sloppy move!” Fredzilla cried. “Or maybe they wanted us to find it like this? Oooh, you think we're gonna see a recorded video from Krei? Oh, man, that'd be so cool! But like, _totally_ bad, too, because he expected us and probably knows we're here, and the video's letting us know we've walked right into a trap. But what if he referred to us by name in it?!”

“Guess we'll just have to find out!” Mainframe said as he clicked through files and folders, trying to find anything of interest. “I'm kinda bummed to see he logged in as an admin; I was hoping I'd get to hack an actual government security system.”

“I never knew you learned how to break into these things.” Crash said.

“I didn't: I bought a copy of the one they're using right now, and made a program that'd do it for me. It came as a sweet package deal with a bunch of other obsolete security systems; corporations, military, even private research laboratories, they've got it all, it's great!”

Crash turned to his brother and narrowed his eyes at him. “And how exactly did you get this?”

“Oh hey, check it out, I have full access to all of their videos and security feeds!” Mainframe said. “Why don't you go data dive these for something useful, Crash?”

With a metaphorical roll of his eyes, Crash did so.

“No videos from Krei or anyone else, but I did find some security footage!” He said, his voice booming through the control room's speakers. “You guys watch that while I go find out what else is interesting here—perks of being a somewhat AI, you don't have to make as much time to watch movies.”

The remaining heroes and Baymax watched as the video started playing.

In the shadows, someone watched them and waited.

The saw the facility as it was before everything got shut down: clean, futuristic, swarming with scientists and technicians in white lab coats, all looking excited and pleased with their progress. The video Crash had chosen was one of the last on record, one taken during a demonstration led by none other than Krei himself.

They watched as the two massive machines hummed to life, energy and light crackling inside the rings. They watched as Krei threw a general's hat into one, and it came out the other—teleportation. They watched as they launched their first human passenger, and the whole thing went horribly, horribly wrong.

The camera feed started shaking and cracking as one machine exploded, the other started sucking in everything inside the lab—a black hole. Inside the control room, chaos as the technicians tried to stop the impending disaster until they shut the whole thing down.

“And this isn't even the best bit!” Crash said. “The real kicker's coming right about… now.”

They watched as someone tried to rush Krei in the control room before the guards and the technicians held him back.

Everyone's eyes widened.

“Is that…?” Kajiki mumbled.

“No way...” Mainframe shook his head.

“It can't be.” Chemical Kitten mumbled.

“It is.” Crash said solemnly.

Baymax turned his attention away from the monitors and to the source of the giant shadow that had fallen over them—a familiar masked figure in a trenchcoat, held up in the air by hundreds of thousands of microbots, carrying massive slab of concrete above his head.

“Oh no.”

The rest looked back in time to see it come flying towards them.

Baymax put himself between it and the others. The rest of the team crouched and ducked back as the robot started sliding back, till the concrete slab stopped a few feet away from crushing them all to death. They were all fully armed and ready as Baymax threw the it away and gave them a good look at their opponent.

Crash zapped back into his body, leaving a trail of sparking and fizzing keyboards and cables in his wake. His optic sensors started glowing brighter, the LEDs dimming to simulate a glare.

“Hello again, Callaghan.” Crash said.

Callaghan smirked underneath his mask. “And hello to you too, Tadashi. The police report said you'd died in the fire, but I guess that wouldn't be the first thing they were wrong about.”

Tentacles started growing from the base of the microbot swarm. They rose up into the air, mysterious bulges slowly traveling up their lengths.

“Honey Lemon. GoGo. Wasabi. Fred. You've even brought your little brother, Hiro, and your project, Baymax.”

Like heads on a Hydra, the tentacles started sprouting faces, spines, and features. Plasma spikes lined the neck of one before ending in three massive jaws full of sharp, glowing teeth. Another spewed flames from its maw, the spikes on its back gleaming ominously. A third started glowing and crackling with an all too familiar energy, constructs of energy forming all over the nodes surrounding its body.

The rest of the tentacles followed suit, sprouting all-too familiar weapons, armour, and features.

“I'd like to thank you all right now.” Callaghan said as the hydra's heads lined up beside him. “If it weren't for all of you getting the idea to run around dressed up as superheroes, using your projects as weapons… well, I wouldn't have gotten where I am right now.

“And you especially, Hiro. I knew there was one thing my plan was missing, one last invention that'd bring it all together.

“I hope you all enjoy what I've done with your tech. Since it's your first and your last live demonstration, I'll make sure it's a good one.”


	6. Microbot Fight

Chaos erupted in the teleporter room. Chunks of the ceiling and the walls raining down from above. Flames, smoke screens, and electromagnetic storms filled the air. Swarms of Microbots coverei the floors alongside oil slicks and gunk traps, waiting to trap and hold down an unlucky hero and turn them into easy pickings.

All the while, Microbots disassembled and raised the last piece of the teleporter up into the air and through the hole in the ceiling. Callaghan stood atop it, keeping watch over the entire battefield, making sure the hydras and the other Microbots kept the heroes from getting close to him, let alone stopping him.

The San Fransokyo 7 gritted their teeth, falling back, fighting off microbots and the hydras, trying to think of a plan to beat Callaghan. They had fought with mobsters with guns, they had fought each other, but they had never fought Microbots and all of their technology being used against them all at once.

Fredzilla tried to jump up and tear Callaghan's mask off his face, a hydra head blew out a smokescreen around Callaghan and blocked his vision. A microbot tentacle smacked him away soon after.

Mainframe and Baymax  flew at him at full power , a hydra head threw razor discs at them, forcing them to swerve and dodge.  Some of the discs hit their marks, shearing off more of their armour than either of them would have liked.

Mercuria tried to skate on the railings and warped platforms, a hydra head slashed the metal to bits, sending her on a crash course straight down. Several more spikes rained down from above, trying to keep her from getting back up to her feet for good.

“ Forget the mask!” Crash cried. “Get the microbots and the heads!”

T he team all shouted an affirmative and switched targets.

M icrobots exploded and died from the overload of electricity Crash and Mainframe were pumping into them. Chemical Kitten  slung chem-bells  as fast as she could , gunking, melting, and blowing up dozens of the machines at a time. Baymax, Agent Kajiki, Fredzilla, and Mercuria set about crushing, slashing, and burning every last one of them.

The tide started to turn. Callaghan was losing dozens if not hundreds of microbots with every passing second.

Swarms of Microbots collapsed their spikes and tentacles and retreated back into the main mass. Hydra heads followed suit, tossing their equipment back into the center, flamethrowers, razor discs, and plasma blades disappearing beneath the sea of moving bots. Beneath his mask, Callaghan scowled, ordering more and more microbots to moving the teleporter piece up faster, with the rest forming a defensive perimeter of spikes and tentacles around it.

“It's working!” Mainframe cried. “He's running out of Microbots! Keep wrecking them!”

The floor was covered in thousands of microbots fried, burnt to a crisp, broken and twitching before they stopped moving for good. The heroes shared grins and a few chuckles as they formed a circle around Callaghan and the spire of Microbots.

They charged!

The microbot spikes shifted positions and charged back, their sharp points now all aimed at one hero: Chemical Kitten.

The heroes shot, slashed, and smashed as many of them as possible. One spike survived the onslaught and kept on rocketing straight towards Kitty, too fast to destroy in time.

Mercuria threw herself between the spike and Chemical Kitten, moving as fast as she could, holding up her shields, and bracing for the impact.

The spike hit her shield, and pierced the metal. An explosive inside detonated, blasting outwards and destroying most of the tip, but the rest of it just kept on going till it hit Mercuria.

She screamed. Callaghan escaped through the ceiling with the last piece of the teleporter, and disappeared from view.

Baymax and Mainframe rocketed towards her.

Mercuria groaned. “Callaghan--!”

“We'll catch him next time!” Mainframe screamed. “Kitty, your wound lickers!”

Baymax started rattling off all of Merucria's wounds and a series of warnings as Chemical Kitten knelt beside her and pulled out the spray cans. Kitty grabbed Mercuria's hand, held it up, and squeezed it.

Mercuria squeezed back.

Kitty started spraying and the pain started anew.

* * *

“I'd say take it easy for a couple of weeks to a few months and let your wounds heal, but knowing you superhero types, you probably want to know how to get back into the field ASAP even if it'll probably kill you, right?” Fred's doctor asked.

Mercuria grunted. She laid on her back on a hospital bed, the heavier pieces of her armour gone, her wounds patched up and healed as best as they could given the time and the circumstances.

The doctor sighed. “Whatever happened to good old fashioned bed rest…?” They mumbled. “Your friend Chemical Kitten—or Honey Lemon, whichever she's called right now—has got access to some experimental treatments for rapid healing that don't officially exist, with her own twist on it.

"As your doctor, I _will_ tell you that they actually work. However, I think you know that she hasn't exactly fixed the 'not making dying the less painful option' problem, so whether or not you want to go for that treatment is between you and her.”

The doctor thumbed to the door. “If you need me, I'll be prepping the other recovery rooms in case your friends back on the island got into their own scrapes. If you need anything, the giant marshmallow nurse or your blonde friend can probably get that for you.”

Mercuria grunted again, and the doctor left.

“Shall I tell Chemical Kitten that you wish her to perform a 'Wound Licking' on you?” Baymax asked.

Mercuria closed her eyes, and nodded.

A short time later, Chemical Kitten shuffled into the room. Her belt and her tail were gone, as was most of the bulkier bits of her armour on her, leaving her in just her dress, her mask, and her boots. She carried a basket in her hands, filled to the brim with numerous spray-cans, almost all of them with bright pink and red stickers slapped on them.

Experimental – Do Not Touch

Potentially Lethal, Always Painful

Work In Progress

She set the basket down on the cart next to Mercuria's bed, and looked at her. Kitty winced, her LEDs blinking off for a brief moment. Though the wounds weren't quite as bad as back on the island now that they had been cleaned, stitched, and staunched, it was still rather obvious that Callaghan had done a real number on Mercuria.

“You sure about this, 'Curia?” Chemical Kitten asked. “These treatments haven't been thoroughly tested and are almost all theoretical, not tried and tested.”

Mercuria grunted. “Callaghan's still out there.”

Kitty nodded sadly and started setting out spray cans outside the basket. “This batch has got anesthetics to soothe most of the sting… though I doubt that'll do much...”

“Just do it.”

Chemical Kitten picked up two cans and started shaking them. “I'll need both paws for this. Hold something, and hold it hard as you can.”

Mercuria grabbed the two metal railings on other side of her bed, and braced herself.

The treatment wasn't as bad as the first aid Wound Lickers. But then again, that was excruciating, burning, and searing pain that made death seem like an enticing option; this was hundreds of thousands of critters with sharp claws, sharp teeth, and acidic spit forcibly sterilizing her insides and outsides, knitting her muscles skin back together, then sealing it all shut in some of the most painful ways imaginable by sheer speed and more than a little sadism.

The scars on Mercuria's skin were probably going to be there for life. They were also some of the ugliest she'd seen on anyone, the side-effect of healing a wound this quickly. They also really, really, _really_ hurt.

Chemical Kitten capped the last spray and set it on the table along with all the others. She looked down at her work, cringed and quickly put her hand on Mercuria's. The gladiator's knuckles were completely white, close to injuring herself if she held on with just a little bit more force.

Mercuria gasped, letting go of the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding for a while. She bit her lip, trying to hold back the groaning, the hissing, the pathetic whining as her injuries throbbed, burned, and stung, but all she really did was draw blood from her lips.

Kitty gently squeezed her hand. “Before you ask about Nap Nap Juice: I don't want some of those chemicals mixing and making the cure way worse than the disease.”

Mercuria slowly let go of the railings, letting her throbbing fingers rest on the sides of the bed. She laid her head back on the pillows, tried to get as comfortable as she could, which was not much.

“Is there anything I can do to help…?” Kitty asked.

“Well, you could try and kiss me and make it all better.” Mercuria mumbled under her breath.

Chemical Kitten stiffened and squeaked. She nervously held her hands together, before they slowly reached up and under her mask. Before Mercuria could clarify that she was being sarcastic, the latches and seals came loose, and Kitty laid her mask down on the table.

She was blushing, her whole face completely red. Mercuria tried to speak, but Kitty was already holding her cheek and leaning down towards her.

They only kissed for a few seconds. But cliché as it was, it was the longest few seconds in either of their lives.

Kitty quickly pulled away and spun around on her heel. Mercuria blinked, her eyes wide open in shock.

“I… I'll… just be—” Kitty grabbed her basket of Wound Lickers and fled, leaving Mercuria staring at where she was a moment go.

Mercuria sighed, relaxed, and tried to get some sleep. Pain or not, she was best off getting some rest before they resumed the hunt for Callaghan


	7. Talk The Talk Heart To Heart

“Plot twist! Yokai—or as I like to call him now, Orochi—is actually Callaghan, not Krei!” Fred said as he stood in front of the giant screen of the mansion's private theater. “Aside from the fact that it's _seriously_ not cool that such a cool guy just tried to kill us, he also stole most of our technology and turned them into Microbot Hydras!

“Which would be pretty cool, if it weren't for the fact that he tried to kill us with them!”

The images on the screen changed to pictures from Baymax's helmet camera to the Hydras, some shots of their designs, some shots of them in action, some of them coming straight for Baymax.

The others in the room kept on watching quietly. GoGo didn't shoot off any snarky comments, mostly because it might cause her scars to flare up again.

“He also stole Silent Sparrow from the island, which we now know is a teleportation device—or it used to be one! No guesses as to what's going to happen once Callaghan puts all of those pieces back together! And just to clarify: it's totally going to become a black hole generator that can probably _destroy the entire city_.”

The image changed to the still of the island's security footage—the teleporter room getting rapidly torn apart and sucked into Silent Sparrow.

Everyone tensed, except Tadashi and Baymax, whose robotic bodies could not do so.

“But, a little digging into the news and potential target areas has brought up an interesting bit of information! Krei Tech is opening their new HQ here in San Fransokyo, and who's going to be attending the ceremony but Alistair Krei himself?”

The image changed to a news article about it, dominated by an image of said building and a profile of Alistair Krei.

Fred smiled. “I think we all see an obvious target and motive here: Callaghan wants to kill Krei using Silent Sparrow, because it's the same thing that killed his daughter, and he wants to be poetic about this murder!”

The rest of the meeting went down to the nitty gritty—plans, schedules, contingencies if they lost this fight, too. “I mean, obviously none of us want Callaghan to kill Krei and possibly a lot of innocent civilians, but just in case.” Fred said.

It briefly went to the repairs and last-minute upgrades and modifications to their armour specifically against the Microbots and the hydras. “Not my best work, but it'll do for now.” Hiro said as they examined the jury-rigged devices.

Eventually, the meeting came to a close, every last detail, potential problem, and avenue of attack discussed to death and explored in their entirety. Fred clapped his hands and the lights came back on in the theater and the big screen turned off.

“Alright, everyone! We've still got plenty of time to prepare before we ship on out to the event! Callaghan probably won't strike until the ceremony starts for real—again, poetic murder and all, he probably wants a crowd for this—so if there's anything you want to do, like get some breakfast or some sleep, write a letter to your families and friends as part of your personal contingency plans, or just get some private time in the bathroom, do it now!”

Everyone except GoGo rose up from their seats and made their way to the exits. Tadashi picked GoGo up, placed her in her wheelchair, and pushed her out the theater with Baymax waddling close behind. Though she could walk, she couldn't deny it might be best if she kept movement of any sort to a minimum before the rematch with Callaghan.

Honey Lemon was waiting for them at the door. She bit her lip while she nervously held her hands in front of her.

“Something up, Honey?” GoGo asked.

Honey Lemon nodded. “Can I borrow you and Baymax? I, uh, want to have that talk now, if you don't mind.”

“The dining room's designed for conversation and meetings!” Fred said as he passed them by. “You can hold it there, and we _promise_ none of us will eavesdrop!”

GoGo turned her attention back to Honey Lemon. Honey bit her lip even harder, slowly but surely getting closer to drawing blood.

GoGo nodded. “I'll meet you there.”

Honey Lemon let out a huge sigh of relief. She lowered her hands and smiled at GoGo. “ _Thank you._ Oh, and no costumes this time, alright? It's just between us—Honey Lemon and GoGo.” She stepped back and let Tadashi wheel her out. “I'll just… do something really quick and then I'll be there, alright?”

GoGo grunted. Honey Lemon turned around and sped off to the nearest bathroom.

“You can have that hot sloppy make-out session with Honey now, if you'd like.” Tadashi said as he pushed her to the dining room.

GoGo scowled and resisted the urge to punch him. She didn't need to break her fist on his metal face.

* * *

The two of them sat in the dining room, their chairs directly across from each other, Baymax standing to the side and watching over them.

“If you would like, I could declare and expound upon the issues of this discussion in your steads once more.” The robot offered.

Honey Lemon shook her head at him. “No thanks, Baymax. Besides, I know exactly how to kick this off.” She looked back at GoGo and took a deep breath. “So… you wanted to know what we are as Chemical Kitten and Mercuria?”

GoGo blinked.

“Pardon the interruption, but isn't that against the 'Roomie Rules', becoming involved in the other persona's business?” Baymax asked.

Honey Lemon sighed and turned to him. “The rules have changed. This is the first supervillain we've fought, the first time one of us has almost been killed in action, and the first time I've seen someone get hurt this badly."

She smiled bitterly. “It's a good time for change, don't you think?”

Baymax nodded. “And what does this mean for the separation of your Chemical Kitten persona and your identity as Honey Lemon?”

“It means there _is_ a Honey Kitty now—Chemical Kitten's going to be a lot more careful, considerate, and controlled now; I'm going to be a little more daring, a little more brave, a _lot_ less of a scaredy cat. You can all stop referring to me and my superhero identity like I'm separate people—god, that was getting confusing even for me!

“Though, I'd like it if you call me Honey Lemon while I'm out of costume, and Chemical Kitten while I'm in—you know, to keep from confusing me and everyone else.”

Baymax nodded. “Acknowledged. Shall we resume the discussion?”

Honey Lemon nodded. "I'd like that." She turned back to GoGo. "GoGo?”

GoGo grunted.

Honey Lemon sucked in a breath. “So… what is Mercuria to Chemical Kitten—err, what you she is to me?” She paused. “You mind if I refer to you and Mercuria as one and the same too?”

GoGo nodded.

Honey Lemon smiled for a moment. “Well, you're who I want to be, and who I want to be with.

“You're a badass, GoGo! You're cool, you're confident, you're loyal—and I really, really, _really_ like being with you, partly because I hope some of that rubs off, mostly because I just enjoy your company in general.

Honey Lemon blushed. “No, scratch that: I _love_ being with you.”

GoGo's cheeks burned red, too.

“You're one of the most amazing people I've ever met. There's not a day that goes by that I wish I could woman up like you and just _do_ things—no fear, no regrets, no hesitation. And that's basically why I always flirted with you more as Chemical Kitten—well, aside from the fact that I'm a lesbian.

“Whenever you're out as Mercuria, you're basically the hero I want to be—the kind that doesn't hesitate to jump in, save people, and bash some baddie heads. When everyone else is too scared or shocked to do anything, you're always the first person that snaps out of it, that gets your shit together, and gets to solving the problem.

“I want to be that kind of hero, too—or at the very least, like you. I can't exactly jump in front of bullets without mag-lev shields on me, right?”

The two of them shared knowing, pained smiles.

“And aside from that, you're just really, really, _really_ hot. A real-life superhero who's also an implacable badass with a great ass? Yes, please!”

Honey Lemon chuckled, while GoGo just blushed even harder than before.

“… Also it's a _huge_ turn-on for me, the way that you just melt into putty whenever I tease you.”

GoGo turned completely red and stared at the table. “Yeah. You're, uh… forward. Very forward. It's... new to me.”

Honey Lemon nervously held her hands. “A little _too_ forward?”

GoGo looked up and gave her a little smile. “… Nah. Just not used to it, is all.”

Honey smiled back wider. “It was like that for me with the superheroing thing, too. The flirting, the fighting, the crime solving--it was fun! It was new! It was exciting! And they were all things I'd never have done without the costume and the mask."  She frowned. “I guess that's why getting my secret identity outed freaked me out so badly, you know?

“Before the Big Reveal, everything I did as Chemical Kitten was off my mind as soon as took off the costume and went back to being just Honey Lemon.

“I could be anyone with that mask. I could be… not me, become someone else. Someone who's not afraid to go out and fight crime. Someone who's not afraid to go up to a girl they're interested with and turn up the tease as high as they wanted it to go. Someone--”

“Cute, chic, and killer, like Chemical Kitten?” GoGo finished, smiling.

Honey Lemon beamed. “Exactly. There weren't any consequences in my mind—everything I did in costume was Chemical Kitten's problem—not my business!

“And then you all found out who I was underneath that mask. Like the end of a masquerade ball, all of the magic's gone, all of the mystery's been solved, I stopped being Chemical Kitten and you all saw me for who I really was: just plain old Honey Lemon.

“And then I realized, right there and then, my actions _did_ have consequences. Maybe not at the time, but I was seriously stupid for thinking that they wouldn't come back to bite me in the bum eventually.” Honey Lemon blinked, paused for a moment, then continued. “Anyway, that night, I asked myself: did I want to keep on being Chemical Kitten? Did I want to keep on flirting with you? Did I want to woman up and take responsibility for my actions, accept that my secret identity's not so 'secret' anymore, that everything I do in costume will matter when I'm out of it?

“Eventually, I figured it out: the answer's 'Yes' to all of them.” Honey Lemon blushed. “I love you, GoGo. And I'm really, really, _really_ sorry I almost had to lose you to figure that out.”

GoGo blushed and choked for a moment. “I… I love you too, Honey Lemon. And it's cool.”

The two of them stared at each other for a good long moment, just blushing and smiling.

“So… anything else?” Honey Lemon asked.

GoGo shrugged. “It can wait. Unless you want to have that hot sloppy make-out session right now.”

Honey Lemon grinned and slid out of her seat.

GoGo blinked. “I was joking.”

Honey Lemon casually sat herself down on GoGo's lap, careful not to stick to her scars. She cupped GoGo's chin and leaned in, bringing their faces inches away from each other.

“Too bad! I'm not~!”


	8. History, Past and Present

“You know you were the reason I got into superheroing in the first place?” Honey Lemon said.

GoGo silently told her no, she hadn't.

The two of them sat in one of the many obscenely comfortable couches in Fred's mansion, GoGo laying back and sinking into the cushions, Honey Lemon snuggled up next to her with her legs pulled up. Honey had idly lifted GoGo's shirt and traced her scars; GoGo barely felt any pain from them anymore, just the feeling of Honey's touch.

“I was shopping for exotic ingredients at one of the bad parts of town. You wouldn't think you'd have to make questionable deals in shady hole-in-the-wall stores to bake pastries, but there I was, walking out of a shop with a plain paper bag full of goods and the owner warning me I shouldn't tell people where I got them.

“There happened to be a guy getting mugged in the alley just outside. I pulled my phone out to call 911, suddenly, there was a sound I'd never heard before: one of your shields clanging off someone's skull.”

GoGo smirked.

“Against all common sense, I went over to investigate. I saw you in the other end of the alley, just waiting for your shield to come flying back, looking _bad_ _ **ass**_ as hell. I don't think you saw me—the alley was too dark—but the guy you saved definitely did.

“'Mercury! Mercuria! Mercuria!' they kept yelling, over and over again, and that was the name that stuck to that image: a real-life superhero, an innocent civilian cheering after you just saved them, and a bad guy who was writhing on the floor, clutching a bad bump on their head.

“I never did call 911. I went straight home, called Fred to freak out about it, then it was all we could talk about for the next couple of hours.

“I'd heard about you from the news. But I never really _knew_ about you until that night, you know?”

GoGo chuckled.

“What's so funny?”

“That's actually how I got my name. Up until then, I was just the 'Vigilante Gladiator' or the 'Crazy Chick with the Shields'. That guy I saved just kept telling people about 'Mercuria' and the name stuck.”

Honey Lemon smiled. “What, you mean to tell me you became a superhero and you never bothered to think up of a name for yourself?”

GoGo smirked. “Too busy patrolling the streets, saving people, beating up criminals, sue me.”

Honey Lemon chuckled. “I actually didn't leave the house for my first patrol until I had a name. Just like I couldn't convince myself to even think about going out to fight crime until I made a paper mask, put it on, and talked to myself as Chemical Kitten.”

“I'm guessing that's when the alliteration and the puns started?”

“What's the strangest style of speech you can think of, something's that's so out there you can't possibly connect the dots and discover that this cat's actually me?”

GoGo grunted. “Good point.”

“So, how did _you_ get your start as a superhero?”

“I was out doing my deliveries one day. Passed by an alley where girl was about to get beat up by three other girls—they were part of a gang, and she just left without telling anyone. I couldn't just leave her there, and she'd be a stain on the wall by the time the cops arrived if I called 911.

“So I turned, ran over one of them with my bicycle, then beat the crap out of the other two.”

Honey Lemon whistled. “Just like that?”

GoGo nodded. “I'm a natural superhero, apparently. Lucky for me and my hospital bills, that girl I saved bolted from her gang before anyone could find out she was working double for Smiling Jack. We got to talking, and a few nights later, I was rolling out as Mercuria.”

Honey Lemon hummed. “Funny how things turned out this way, right? Like we were always destined to be together and become the San Fransokyo 7.”

GoGo shrugged. “Meh. The universe has a weird sense of humour.”

Both of their phones beeped. The two of them pulled them out and got the same message:

_“2 hours till ceremony. Get your gear and last minute preparations done; we're leaving in an hour or less. Take off at the garden like last time.”_

“Speak of the superheroes...” Honey Lemon mumbled, smiling at GoGo.

The two of them got up from the couch and headed off to get their gear.

* * *

The seven of them were in a circle in Fred's backyard once more, all dressed up in full gear plus some last minute gadgets for the fight against Callaghan. They all shared looks and nods, smiles underneath their helmets and masks.

Baymax raised his fist. “One.”

Mainframe grinned and put his beside it. “Two.”

Crash followed suit, drumming his fingers on his palm, energy crackling and sparking on the tips. “Three.”

Fredzilla pumped one arm up into the air and put the other into the circle. “FOUR!”

Agent Kaijiki raised his fist without any fanfare. “Five.”

Chemical Kitten's tail swished about as she put a paw up. “Six~!”

Mercuria groaned, and raised her gloved hand. “Seven...”

They bumped fists.

“Boosh!” Mainframe, Crash, Kajiki, Chemical Kitten, and Fredzilla cried.

“Balalala!” Baymax said.

“… Boosh...” Mercuria grumbled.

Kityt giggled and patted her on the shoulder. “See? That wasn't so hard, was it?”

Mercuria groaned and shrugged her off. “Let's just get on already.”

“Very last opportunity for last-minute business, everyone!” Fredzilla cried as Mercuria and Honey Lemon boarded Baymax's shoulders. “Once we take off, we're not stopping till we get to Krei Tech's new headquarters!”

“Wait!” Kitty cried.

The others stopped and snapped their attention to her.

Chemical Kitten quickly removed her mask and set it down on Baymax. Just as fast, she lifted up Mercuria's helmet, surged forward, and locked lips with her in a passionate kiss.

Kitty pulled away, and tugged Mercuria's helmet back on. The gladiator blinked, blushing bright red underneath her helmet.

Mainframe chuckled. “You guys done?”

Kitty was about to reply before she felt something foreign in her mouth. She awkwardly pulled Mercuria's gum out of her mouth.

Crash sniggered.

Fredzilla whistled.

Mainframe stared.

Agent Kajiki gagged.

Mercuria blushed even harder.

“I would advise disposing of that gum, alongside Honey Lemon rinsing her mouth with an antiseptic solution like mouthwash.” Baymax said.

“… Please tell me you're not putting that back into either of your mouths.” Kajiki whimpered.

Chemical Kitten slowly, awkwardly stuck the wad of gum onto the side of Mercuria's helmet, where it stayed for the rest of the mission.

The rest of them boarded, and off to the skies they took, heading off to Krei Tech HQ.


	9. Microbot Fight: The Rematch

“Hey guys? You wonder what sort of entrance Callaghan is going to make?”

Everyone ignored Fredzilla as they waited on the rooftop of a nearby building, warily watching the streets and the area for any sign of Callaghan or the Microbots. The area was mostly blocked off, Krei Tech security setting up barricades in the roads, screening whoever was coming in late to the ceremony or needed to be pointed to a detour.

Unfazed, Fredzilla kept talking. “Do you think it's going to be a big dramatic entrance, like he's gonna come in riding a wave of Microbots and he's just going to have them pour down from the roof like a waterfall? Or do you think it's going to be something subtle, like he's going to have the hydra heads peeking out of corners to freak people out before he appears for real? But what if he does _both_ \--riding a wave of Microbots in while the hydra heads peek out of corners and freak everyone out even more!”

The others continued ignoring him. Krei took the stage, and the opening ceremony began proper, with the usual round of thanks, applause, and the beginnings of his introductory anecdote for his speech.

“Hey, any of you guys want to make a bet about which one it is? Or whoever can figure out what's the closest to what he actually does?”

Conversation on both sides stopped as Microbots came swarming up the roof, forming frames in the air, the pieces of Silent Sparrow riding on their backs until they met high up in the air. Civilians screamed and ran as the hydras shot fire, energy, and razor discs at them. Security tried to fight back only to run away as they realized their bullets were no match for the Microbots, if they weren't just knocked away first.

Krei stared at the chaos around him, tried to run before a figure loomed high up above his head—a masked figure in a trench coat, held up by a spire of Microbots. Callaghan lifted up his mask and glared at him, murder in his eyes.

The San Fransokyo 7 rushed down from the roof or got back on Baymax.

“Welp, so much for that!” Fredzilla cried as he got a running start and leaped to the Krei Tech building.

Silent Sparrow had been pieced back together and reactivated by the time they arrived. Chunks of the Krei Tech building began tearing off and flying into the portal, the whole building getting rapidly destroyed from top to bottom. Callaghan had Krei in his grasp, holding him in a cocoon of Microbots with the hydras' heads looming ominously close to him.

“Remember the plan, guys: get the heads, get the microbots, get the mask!” Crash said as the seven of them got into place. “We'll deal with Silent Sparrow later. Now superhero faces, everyone! It's show time!”

The San Fransokyo 7 spread out in line formation, their weapons bared. Crash stood in the center of it all, staring Callaghan dead in the face.

“Hey! Callaghan!" He shouted. "Guess who's back for round two?!”

Callaghan snapped his head to them. He scowled, stuck Krei to a wall, and raised his hands. The Microbots and the hydras started charging towards the heroes, coming at them with their full arsenal of spikes, chemicals, and weapons.

The heroes rushed forward to meet them!

“Kitty! Zilla!” Mainframe cried.

“On it!” Chemical Kitten replied as she launched several chem-bells into the air.

Fredzilla jumped up into the air. “SMOKE SCREEN!” He yelled, torching the chem-bells and filling the air with a thick cloud of blue smoke.

The heroes, Microbots, and the Hydras disappeared into the fog. Callaghan gritted his teeth as he realized he couldn't see what was going on inside.

Whirls of energy, electricity, and plasma; plumes of fire; and colourful explosions erupted from the clouds, till it cleared away and revealed the seven heroes standing in a mess of destroyed Microbots, and one less hydra head, its flamethrower “head” laying on the roof cracked open and burning.

Chemical Kitten laughed. “You only have the element of surprise _once!”_

Callaghan scowled and flipped his mask back to his face as the surviving Microbots and the remaining hydra heads fled back to him. The heroes spread out, splitting into three teams around Callaghan before they rushed him again.

Silent Sparrow raged on as the heroes and Callaghan clashed down below. More and more of the Krei Tech building collapsed and broke apart before getting sucked in.

Microbots, shattered, fried, or roasted to a crisp rained down from the air and littered the ground. Callaghan lost Microbots faster and faster as the minutes passed by. The heroes never let up their assault, he kept on fighting despite the heavy losses.

Mercuria dashed through the grounds, dodging a series of spikes cracking and impaling the ground where she was just a few seconds ago. She pushed herself harder and harder as her opponents only got faster and faster and attacked from more and more angles.

She cursed as she skated straight into a corner. Mercuria spun around to brake, and saw the hydra head with the jaws full of plasma fangs looming right over her.

The head lunged, Mercuria raised her shield.

The impact never came.

“Looks like this Kitty just saved your life! Again!”

Mercuria put her arm down and saw the head stuck in a pink cocoon of gunk, iridescent and glowing brightly in the mid-day sun alongside its plasma blades. A half-second later, bolts of pure energy rocketed through the air and into its body, the green plasma sparking and fizzing to nothing as the overload of power blew up the modules.

“Damn! Beaten to punch _twice!”_ Crash cried as he sailed through the air, raining a few more bolts into the hydra just to be sure.

Chemical Kitten dropped down from an upper floor and grinned at Mercuria, her mouthpiece parted to show off just how wide it was.

Mercuria quickly opened her own mouthpiece and grinned back.

Then, the two them turned back to the Microbots, slid their helmets and masks shut, and got back into the fray.

A good third of the Krei Tech building had been destroyed. The last hydra head fell, its collection of razor discs and the Microbots that formed it rattling on the ground before they flew up into the air and into Silent Sparrow, too. Every step the heroes took suddenly sent them high up into the air, floating for a few seconds before they hit the ground again.

“Gravity's weird now!” Agent Kajiki cried as he bounced through empty offices. “We can probably use this! Get higher, people!”

Agent Kajiki launched himself at pillars of Microbots, laughing as he whirled through the air like a hurricane and tore them to pieces.

Chemical Kitten happily slung chem-bells every which way, the projectiles screaming straight through the air till they hit their marks and detonated, colourful clouds and destroyed Microbots filling the air.

Mercuria gritted her teeth as she rushed up a spire of Microbots, her shields screaming and burning bright red as she left a trail of destruction and a rain of shattered machines in her wake.

Fredzilla pounced and bounced off Microbots, walls, and floating hunks of building, spewing fire and waving his claws through the air, torching Microbots to a crisp before slashing them to pieces.

Baymax soared up into the air and punched and kicked Microbots to bits. On his back, Mainframe electrified and fried the ones he missed, while Crash clung to his chest and shot the ones further off in the distance.

The San Fransokyo 7 brought the fight higher and higher, closer and closer to Silent Sparrow. Callaghan gritted his teeth as he sent spikes soaring up after them. The heroes responded by smashing them to bits, what they couldn't completely destroy getting sucked up into the teleporter too fast for Callaghan to recover them.

Fredzilla jumped up to Callaghan. He tried to swat him away with a Microbot tentacle, Frdezilla happily torched them to a crisp and floated the rest of the way down without a scratch.

Baymax and Mainframe flew up to Callaghan. He tried to send what few spikes he had left rushing at them, the duo ducked and weaved, the spikes going wide before Mainframe held his hands out over them, electricity crackling and frying the Microbots as Baymax flew parallel to them.

Mercuria skated on and hopped off a series of flying hunks of concrete, getting closer and closer to Callaghan. He crushed and swatted the pieces leading to him with a tentacle, Mercuria went falling back to the ground, a grin underneath her helmet.

Baymax and Mainframe flew past Callaghan's head. He tried to grab them with his Microbots, a tentacle surging after them.

Crash, hanging off an energy tether on Baymax, casually sailed right behind Callaghan's back, plucking the mask and the headband controlling the Microbots off his face.

“Yeah, we'll be taking this, thanks.”

Callaghan turned around, and watched as Crash casually shattered the mask to pieces.

Silent Sparrow rumbled and shook, the frames of Microbots holding it in the air coming apart all at once. The stilts holding Callaghan stood on collapsed, a rain of Microbots falling with him to the ground before Crash caught him with a tether, and pulled him along as Baymax and the rest of the team retreated back down to the ground.

Silent Sparrow flipped and spun as it fell through the air, the portal inside of it still raging and sucking in Microbots and the remains of the Krei Tech building. It landed on the foundation with a thunderous crash, digging itself into a crater in the ground, the portal facing the heroes as they assembled a safe distance away.

“Alright! Let's figure out how to shut this thing down!” Crash said as he braced himself against the pull. “Baymax, give me a read-out on this thing!”

Baymax turned his attention to the portal and scanned it for a few seconds. “Signs of life detected.” He said. “Adult, female, vital signs at minimal levels, but alive in a state of suspended animation.”

“It's the pilot!” Mainframe yelled as he climbed right back onto Baymax's back. “We have to go in there and save her!”

“Hiro! No!” Crash cried, before he ran and latched himself on Baymax's chest. “You're not going in there without me! Trust me, rushing headlong into danger by yourself doesn't end well!”

“Wait, you guys are actually going _in_ there?!” Agent Kajiki screamed.

The brothers turned to him at the same time. “Someone has to.” They said together.

They lifted off, and blasted into the portal. All the others could do was watch them as they disappeared from sight.


	10. Somewhere in San Fransokyo...

“Not a half bad place to die, eh, 'Curia?” Chemical Kitten said as she peered over the top of the concrete slab they hid behind.

The rest of the team had taken cover behind the rubble of the Krei Tech building, watching Silent Sparrow shake and roar as it rapidly tore itself apart.

“That's pretty negative, coming from you.” Mercuria replied as she peered out the side.

“Hey, death happens to everybody; the best you can do is live, love, and laugh, and go out with a bang—and who do you know went out with a boom this big?” Kitty turned to Mercuria and chuckled.

Mercuria shot her friend a look that said “Seriously?”

Even with the visor obscuring Merucuria's features, Kitty got the message. The glow of her LED eyes softened. “Seriously speaking sweetie, we _may_ actually die here, and though there's tons of things I still want to try and tick off the list…”

Mercuria ducked completely into cover, and removed her helmet. She smiled at Kitty.

Chemical Kitten didn't part her mouthpiece. Instead, she knelt down with Mercuria, and removed her mask. She smiled back.

The two of them wrapped their arms around each other, closed their eyes, and leaned in.

Baymax and Mainframe came rocketing out of the portal on the ill-fated cryopod, landing with a massive thud. Crash followed soon after, flailing and flapping helplessly about on an energy tether attached to them.

Mercuria and Chemical Kitten's lips met.

_Boom._

Silent Sparrow exploded, the shockwave thundering in the chests of everyone in the area.

Mercuria and Chemical Kitten's eyes shot wide open. The two of them stared at each other, lips still locked.

Kitty pulled away grinning. “Okay, _wow,_ that would have made like the perfect last kiss before we died… buuut since it wasn't—care for another one?” She smiled.

Mercuria pulled her back in as her reply.

* * *

“Thanks for your purchase!” Cass said as she rang up her latest customer. “Hey, did you know my nephew's secretly been a superhero for _years_ and he _never told me once?_ Neither did I, till just yesterday!”

Crash internally winced and kept on entertaining the swarms of customers and visitors of the Lucky Cat Cafe. The other members of the San Fransokyo 7 followed suit, selling pastries, distributing samples, and putting their equipment to mundane uses like chopping up loaves with unparalleled precision, making smores by the tray, or simply skating around serving tables or slinging orders through the air and into customers' hands.

Only Baymax was out of costume, but the giant fluffy marshmallow robot proved a hit all on his own.

“Cookies coming in hot out of the oven!” Chemical Kitten cried as she launched a bag of cookies through the air with her tail. The customers that caught it whooped and cheered, laughing and clapping before they actually dug into their treats.

Mercuria calmly served up their complimentary glasses of milk, before skating back to the counter, occasionally intercepting airborne treats that the customers failed to catch. She set her tray and the baskets around her arms down on the counter, most of them almost empty.

“Need a restock.” She said.

“On the double~!” Kitty sang as she stuck her paws and her tail into trays and shelves nearby.

Mercuria leaned on the counter as she waited, idly scanning the crowds for any signs of trouble.

Someone coughed.

Mercuria looked around her, before the person coughed again. She looked down and saw two preteen girls standing right before her, both roughly the same age.

“Hiii!” The cheerier looking one of them smiled and waved. “I'm Izzy, and this is Mac!” She pointed to her friend.

Mac grunted. She looked like the complete opposite of Izzy, the definition of contrast in action.

Chemical Kitten stopped her work and leaned on the counter, parting her mouthpiece to smile at the two girls. “Well hello there, Izzy and Mac! Would you girls like a tasty treat from the Lucky Cat Cafe? They're _super_ good, trust me!” She laughed.

Izzy did too. Mac groaned. Mercuria rolled her eyes.

“No thanks, but will you tell us how to become superheroes like you two if we do?” Izzy asked excitedly.

Chemical Kitten frowned. “Sorry, sweetie, the answer's 'No.' Superheroing's sort of a super dangerous job, and I'm supposed to keep people safe, not set them sailing off into trouble.”

Izzy's face fell. “Aww...”

Mac patted her on the shoulder twice before quickly bringing her arm back down to her side.

“Yeah, sorry, kids.” Mercuria said.

Chemical Kitten slid her mouthpiece shut. She looked around the cafe, keeping a wary eye out for Cass. She leaned over the counter, subtly beckoning the two girls in closer and whispered.

“What I _can_ tell you two, though, is that us superheroes are _also_ secretly scientists, and you can help save the day and beat baddies that way.”

Izzy and Mac both smiled. Chemical Kitten quickly leaned back before Aunt Cass could get suspicious.

“Thanks!” Izzy whispered back. She blinked, and her eyes went wide open. “Oh! And before I forget: Mac here wants to tell you two something!” She playfully elbowed her friend. “Isn't that right, Mackie?”

Mac choked for a moment. She scowled at Izzy, sighed heavily, and looked away.

“… Thanks.”

“For what, sweetie?” Kitty asked as she resumed restocking Mercuria's trays.

Mac blushed as she awkwardly held her hand out to Izzy. Izzy grinned as she happily laced their fingers together.

Mac looked back at Chemical Kitten and Mercuria in turn. “My momma said good girls don't like other girls.” She smiled. “You guys proved her wrong.”

Mac quickly removed her hand from Izzy and shoved into one of her skirt's pockets. Izzy's cheerful aura dimmed for a few seconds, before she was back to being sunny and chipper again.

“Hey. Mac.” Mercuria said.

Mac turned her attention to her.

“Don't be a scaredy cat. You like her? Don't be afraid to show it—especially if you want to be a superhero.”

“And just as a little bit of motivation...” Chemical Kitten cast another quick glance at Cass, before using her tail to pick up two cookies and hand them to Mac and Izzy, one by one.

“Don't show those, though.” Mercuria mumbled, subtly casting her own wary look at Aunt Cass.

The two girls nodded quickly. Izzy gave Mac a victorious smirk, Mac gingerly removed her hand from her pocket.

The two of them walked away hand-in-hand, discretely nibbling their treats.

Cass came over with several trays for the display shelves. “Don't worry you two: Tadashi's paying for both of those.” She said casually.

The two heroes blushed, before they quickly went back to work.

* * *

“You don't have to keep this a secret anymore, GoGo. We live in San Fransokoyo, no one's going to bat an eyelash.”

GoGo blushed, looked around at the bustling streets before her, and back at Honey Lemon. She tried to concoct another half-assed excuse but found herself with none.

“Here, I'll show you!”

Before GoGo could even protest, Honey Lemon grabbed her hand. The red on GoGo's cheeks burned even brighter; words spluttered out of her mouth half-formed and incoherent.

Honey Lemon just chuckled as she watched her girlfriend—both in _and_ out of costume—get completely, absolutely flustered.

“See?” Honey Lemon gestured to the people around them with her free hand. “Nobody cares!”

GoGo looked. Save for a few people giving them amused smiles or just people watching, everyone was minding their own business, not even giving them so much as a glance. She frowned and blew a bubble.

“We can do anything out here in public!” Honey Lemon cried as she swung their hands through the air. She paused. “Well, maybe not _everything..._ _”_

GoGo's bubble exploded. She would have probably choked on it, if it hadn't ended up all over face.

Honey Lemon sniggered. GoGo glared at her but the effect was ruined by all the gum. She groaned and started removing it with one hand, since Honey Lemon clearly wasn't going to let go of her other without a fight.

“You know, I think it's super cute when you get all embarrassed like this!”

GoGo groaned, wadded up her gum, and shoved it back into her mouth.

Honey Lemon quickly leaned down to GoGo's ear. _“And_ it just makes me want to make you a _very_ different kind of bothered, too...~”

This time, GoGo _did_ choke on her gum. She spluttered for a few seconds before gasping for breath.

Honey Lemon stood back up, smiling innocently. “Tell you what, GoGo: you walk with me hand-in-hand for three blocks, and we can go back home!” She gave GoGo a meaningful, far, _far_ from innocent look. “Sound good?”

GoGo quickly nodded her head, her face now burning almost completely red.

Honey Lemon beamed.

Together, the two of them walked down the crowded streets of San Fransokyo, hand-in-hand, a tall chemist looking happy as can be, and her short engineer girlfriend blushing bright red and staring intently at her shoes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> San Fransokyo 7 started as a joke. It might have been obvious with how the first of the series was written, but it was meant to be a one-off gag, a silly “What if everyone but Hiro and Baymax were already superheroes?” prompt I got in my head, then decided to write on a whim.
> 
> And then my brain (being the HoneyGoGo shipping trash that it is)d ecided to expand that. Why is Honey Lemon so freaked out upon losing her identity? What's the story behind why GoGo is so friggin' embarassed that Honey Lemon is actually Chemical Kitten and she's been flirting with (or more accurately, been flirted with) for so many years? And what adventures have these guys been into, anyway?
> 
> Thus, The Cat and The Gladiator was born. It used to be an extra chapter to the first, until I realized no, this was its own monster, and could stand on its own independent of the first. It acted as a prequel, back when the original was supposed to be events of the past interspersed with the present.
> 
> TCTG clicked, and it turns out, people loved a Dominant Flirty Honey Lemon messing with a Submissive Blushing and Stammering GoGo as much as my brain did. All good things must come to an end, however, and amidst other projects and my short attention span, the story came to a grinding halt with an abruptly made ending—it never really was going anywhere, much like Radish Legs and Skinny Tails, just a collection of one-shots per chapter with a vague continuity.
> 
> Then the whole thing stewed for who knows how long. In that time, I wrote bits and pieces about “And now, back to the present!” as to what would happen after the big reveal and Hiro discusses how they're going to catch Krei.
> 
> My writing style changed dramatically, as can be seen with the way I'd completely abandoned flip-flopping between “Name/Descriptive Noun” here after some much needed guides. This story also has a much more solid continuity, and actually moves forward on a single, continuous track.
> 
> It also turned incredibly dramatic and serious, when I started exploring Honey Lemon's reasons for the Chemical Kitten persona being so unlike her, and what exactly would happen when she's forced to realize that the two worlds have met. It got even more interesting when I played the classic “they've had crushes all along,” but making it so it doesn't magically make things okay.
> 
> It also amuses me that I made a Cerebus Syndrome without intending to—a funny beginning, a silly but somewhat serious middle, then a dramatic third as the finale—though I will admit I enjoyed how things steadily looped straight back into being silly at the end.
> 
> Now it's well and truly over—at least, for this specific series. Chemical Kitten and Mercuria live on in my brain, as do the adventures of these Alternate Universe versions of the Big Hero 6, but for now, this is the end.
> 
> Is it the best? Far from it. Should I have planned this out from the beginning? Probably, yeah. Was it fun? Hell yes.
> 
> Thanks for reading this story, or if you're coming from all the other series, for reading this entire piece of insanity.
> 
> I owe it to my readers who spurn me on as much as this brain that never shuts off, my ability to keep on churning this stuff.
> 
> So again, thank you.


End file.
